Welcome to California MBA's podcast, Connect, our all-new podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. California MBA serves to represent the residential and commercial real estate finance industry before all governing bodies. The California MBA encourages and promotes sound business practices and honesty in marketing, origination, lending and servicing of mortgage loans through our educational and networking opportunities.
Appraisal modernization. UAD 3.6. Property data as infrastructure. These aren't back-office compliance topics — they're the next competitive battleground in mortgage. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Kenon Chen, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Growth at Clear Capital, for one of the most forward-looking conversations on collateral, data, and AI…
When a natural disaster destroys a home, the mortgage servicer is one of the first calls a homeowner makes. What happens in those first days and weeks can determine whether a family rebuilds — or falls through the cracks. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Ron Malik, Senior Vice President of Default Servicing at Dovenmuehle Mortgage, one of the nation's…
Affordability. Access. Inventory. These words get thrown around constantly — but what do they actually mean for the families sitting in a financial literacy event in Atlanta wondering if they'll ever own a home? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Nora Guerra, Senior Vice President of Community Lending Solutions at Guild Mortgage, for one of the most…
Every lender is being pitched AI right now. But how many are actually implementing it successfully — and what separates the ones that do from the ones that don't? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Varant Herculian of JazzX AI for a candid, execution-focused conversation on what it actually takes to move from an exciting AI demonstration to real-world…
Credit scoring is one of the most consequential — and least understood — topics in mortgage right now. And it's moving fast. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Devin Norales, Head of Mortgage and Capital Markets at FICO, for a deep-dive conversation on credit score modernization, FICO 10T, and what it means for lenders, originators, capital markets…
Lenders are spending more on technology than ever — and getting less return than they expected. Why? Because most of them don't know what they have, what it costs to run it, or whether it's actually delivering. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Vince Furey, who leads the mortgage vertical at MeridianLink, for a wide-ranging conversation on technology…
Lenders cut to the bone. Volume stalled. And now the next cycle is coming — are you operationally ready for it? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Mike Brown of Gateless, a company helping lenders rethink how work gets done across the entire mortgage loan lifecycle. Mike brings deep operational expertise — from Black Knight's loan origination group to…
The regulatory and compliance landscape for mortgage lenders has never been more complex — and the risks hiding in the rearview mirror may be bigger than the ones ahead. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with James W. Brody, Esq., Founder and Managing Partner of Brody Gapp LLP, for a wide-ranging conversation on the current legal risk environment, where…
Nobody originates a loan hoping it becomes a legal strategy session — but in the real world, defaults happen, projects stall, and lenders need a plan. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Steven Ernest of Forta Law for a practical, no-nonsense conversation on managing defaults, protecting collateral, and maximizing recovery as a private lender in California.…
Mortgage lenders track rates, volume, and affordability. But are they paying close enough attention to what's happening in real estate — and how it directly affects their business? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Coby Hakalir, SVP/Managing Director of Mortgage & Core Services at T3 Sixty, a firm helping real estate leaders think through strategy,…